PR: Sheehan Again Pilots Audi In Watkins Glen Grand-Am Cup
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PR: Sheehan Again Pilots Audi In Watkins Glen Grand-Am Cup
Hey everyone,
I know this has nothing to do with Honda, but being the racer-heads you all are, I thought I could talk to you guys about it. I'm going to The Glen! This all just came together over the weekend. It's hard for me to sit still because I'm so excited to be racing in another Grand-Am Cup race and because I've never been to Watkins Glen before. I'll be paired with Anders Hainer this race. It's his first time at The Glen as well. If we can get the track figured out we should be able to run at the front. We were both pretty quick in the Audis at Mont Tremblant (qualified first and second), so together we should make a formidable combination.
Here's the press release that went out today...
Gary
Sheehan Motor Racing
www.teamSMR.com
------------------------------------------------
CUP NEWCOMER TIPPED FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE START IN AUDI S4 WITH ISTOOK-AINES
Martinez, Calif. – Following up on his stellar debut performance in last month’s Mont-Tremblant 250, former U.S. Touring Car Championship driver Gary Sheehan will again pilot the Audi S4 of Istook-Aines Motorsports in the Grand-Am Cup The Glen 250, June 19, 2004. Sheehan will be looking to build upon his highly successful debut, which saw him qualify the No. 4 Audi S4 on the front row, set a new GS lap record at Le Circuit de Mont Tremblant and lead the first 14 laps of the race; this also places him among the top 10 drivers in laps led for the season.
The Audi S4 Quattro prepared by Istook-Aines Motorsports is a racecar that Sheehan particularly likes to drive, given his considerable experience racing turbocharged, all-wheel drive touring cars: He previously campaigned an all-wheel drive Subaru WRX, achieving multiple race-wins in the U.S. Touring Car Championship during the 2001-2003 seasons. Adding to the degree of familiarity, the Audi is set up with StopTech’s Balanced Brake System™, which Sheehan has used exclusively in recent years.
For The Glen 250 event, Gary will be teamed with Istook-Aines standout Anders Hainer. Although Sheehan is very experienced at many tracks throughout the US and Canada, this will be his first outing at the venerable Watkins Glen, and he looks forward to learning the track and its subtleties.
“I am very happy to be back in the Istook-Aines Audi again for my second Grand-Am Cup race”, Sheehan said. “Mont-Tremblant was a dream come true, and I want to take that momentum with me to The Glen. The team and I work very well together, and I think we have a good shot at a podium finish. Anders (Hainer) is a very quick driver, and I’m looking forward to sharing the car with him.”
The Grand-Am Cup is the premier production car-based endurance racing series in North America. The field is made up of two classes: Sport Touring (ST) and Grand Sport (GS). GS is the more powerful class of the two and is filled with high-performance cars such as the BMW M3, Cadillac CTS-V, Nissan 350Z, Ford Mustang Cobra, Porsche 996 and Acura NSX.
The Glen 250 is scheduled to start at 2:00 pm eastern time on Saturday June 19, 2004. The Grand-Am Cup action kicks off with a first practice session on Friday June 18 at 1:00 pm, followed by a second Friday session at 3:35 pm. Qualifying for the 250-mile, 74-lap race commences at 11:30 am Saturday, prior to the race. Spectators will be treated to a full weekend of Grand-Am Cup and Rolex Series action during the weekend. The race will be broadcast by Speed Channel on Sunday, June 27th at 2:00pm (ET).
To follow live event timing, (practice, qualifying, and race), or for more information regarding the race schedule and Grand-Am, visit the Grand American Road Racing website at www.grand-am.com
I know this has nothing to do with Honda, but being the racer-heads you all are, I thought I could talk to you guys about it. I'm going to The Glen! This all just came together over the weekend. It's hard for me to sit still because I'm so excited to be racing in another Grand-Am Cup race and because I've never been to Watkins Glen before. I'll be paired with Anders Hainer this race. It's his first time at The Glen as well. If we can get the track figured out we should be able to run at the front. We were both pretty quick in the Audis at Mont Tremblant (qualified first and second), so together we should make a formidable combination.
Here's the press release that went out today...
Gary
Sheehan Motor Racing
www.teamSMR.com
------------------------------------------------
CUP NEWCOMER TIPPED FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE START IN AUDI S4 WITH ISTOOK-AINES
Martinez, Calif. – Following up on his stellar debut performance in last month’s Mont-Tremblant 250, former U.S. Touring Car Championship driver Gary Sheehan will again pilot the Audi S4 of Istook-Aines Motorsports in the Grand-Am Cup The Glen 250, June 19, 2004. Sheehan will be looking to build upon his highly successful debut, which saw him qualify the No. 4 Audi S4 on the front row, set a new GS lap record at Le Circuit de Mont Tremblant and lead the first 14 laps of the race; this also places him among the top 10 drivers in laps led for the season.
The Audi S4 Quattro prepared by Istook-Aines Motorsports is a racecar that Sheehan particularly likes to drive, given his considerable experience racing turbocharged, all-wheel drive touring cars: He previously campaigned an all-wheel drive Subaru WRX, achieving multiple race-wins in the U.S. Touring Car Championship during the 2001-2003 seasons. Adding to the degree of familiarity, the Audi is set up with StopTech’s Balanced Brake System™, which Sheehan has used exclusively in recent years.
For The Glen 250 event, Gary will be teamed with Istook-Aines standout Anders Hainer. Although Sheehan is very experienced at many tracks throughout the US and Canada, this will be his first outing at the venerable Watkins Glen, and he looks forward to learning the track and its subtleties.
“I am very happy to be back in the Istook-Aines Audi again for my second Grand-Am Cup race”, Sheehan said. “Mont-Tremblant was a dream come true, and I want to take that momentum with me to The Glen. The team and I work very well together, and I think we have a good shot at a podium finish. Anders (Hainer) is a very quick driver, and I’m looking forward to sharing the car with him.”
The Grand-Am Cup is the premier production car-based endurance racing series in North America. The field is made up of two classes: Sport Touring (ST) and Grand Sport (GS). GS is the more powerful class of the two and is filled with high-performance cars such as the BMW M3, Cadillac CTS-V, Nissan 350Z, Ford Mustang Cobra, Porsche 996 and Acura NSX.
The Glen 250 is scheduled to start at 2:00 pm eastern time on Saturday June 19, 2004. The Grand-Am Cup action kicks off with a first practice session on Friday June 18 at 1:00 pm, followed by a second Friday session at 3:35 pm. Qualifying for the 250-mile, 74-lap race commences at 11:30 am Saturday, prior to the race. Spectators will be treated to a full weekend of Grand-Am Cup and Rolex Series action during the weekend. The race will be broadcast by Speed Channel on Sunday, June 27th at 2:00pm (ET).
To follow live event timing, (practice, qualifying, and race), or for more information regarding the race schedule and Grand-Am, visit the Grand American Road Racing website at www.grand-am.com
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From: Murphy, Tx, USA
Re: PR: Sheehan Again Pilots Audi In Watkins Glen Grand-Am Cup (GarySheehan)
Congrats !!!!
The Glen is a beautiful track. I only was there once last year for a two day HPDE. The only things I can tell you is that Turn 6 is downhill and a blind late apex that I only was able to good once the many times I went around there !!! Oh, and another thing, those blue bushes are not soft and don't move !!!
If you get a chance to get there early, the finger lakes region on NY is a beautiful place. Check it out.
The Glen is a beautiful track. I only was there once last year for a two day HPDE. The only things I can tell you is that Turn 6 is downhill and a blind late apex that I only was able to good once the many times I went around there !!! Oh, and another thing, those blue bushes are not soft and don't move !!!
If you get a chance to get there early, the finger lakes region on NY is a beautiful place. Check it out.
Joined: Mar 2002
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From: Los Angeles, CA
Re: PR: Sheehan Again Pilots Audi In Watkins Glen Grand-Am Cup (GarySheehan)
I saw your name on the entry list for the Glen a day or so ago and I was happy to see it. The Glen is on my short list of tracks to drive, too. Any idea if you'll be driving at Mid-Ohio?
Will you still be competing in USTCC with the WRX?
Good luck!
Will you still be competing in USTCC with the WRX?
Good luck!
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From: Arlington, NoVA, USA
Good luck Gary... GAC is a great series to watch, definitely one of my favorites to follow! I'll be sure to check out the race when it's aired on Speed on 6/27.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by WebbRacing.com »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Any idea if you'll be driving at Mid-Ohio?</TD></TR></TABLE>
Still trying to get that ride in the 2nd Unitech car at M-O?
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by WebbRacing.com »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Any idea if you'll be driving at Mid-Ohio?</TD></TR></TABLE>
Still trying to get that ride in the 2nd Unitech car at M-O?
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From: Middlesex, NJ, USA
Re: PR: Sheehan Again Pilots Audi In Watkins Glen Grand-Am Cup (GarySheehan)
Congratulations! You're living everybody's dream ...
Here's a tip for the Glen - when you make the right around the Toe of the Boot you want to come ACROSS the hill, not straight up it. You can still accelerate hard but the hill won't slow you down as much if you cross it. There is a cut at track out wide enough to get most of the car in - LOTS of room at exit. It works great in a Miata ... not sure about the Audi.
Good luck and I look forward to seeing you on TV!
Now I can say I met a Grand Am driver — we met briefly at Summit Point a couple years ago at a USTCC race
Here's a tip for the Glen - when you make the right around the Toe of the Boot you want to come ACROSS the hill, not straight up it. You can still accelerate hard but the hill won't slow you down as much if you cross it. There is a cut at track out wide enough to get most of the car in - LOTS of room at exit. It works great in a Miata ... not sure about the Audi.
Good luck and I look forward to seeing you on TV!
Now I can say I met a Grand Am driver — we met briefly at Summit Point a couple years ago at a USTCC race
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Hey guys,
I'm sitting here in LaGuardia Airport in NYC waiting for my return flight. I had a pretty big crash yesterday. I started in 27th place due to a qualifying goof that's actually a pretty funny story, but will wait for another day. I worked my way up from 27th to 1st place in 11 laps. The Automatic Racing 09 BMW M3 was battling me for the lead. Coming into the heel of the boot he got up along inside of my. I gave him lots of room on the inside and we went through the corner side-by-side. But at the exit, I tracked all the way out and he tracked out into me, not leaving me any racing room. We both went off drivers left into the barrier.
It was a pretty hard hit. Yesterday I felt absolutely fine, but today the right side of my neck and my back is a bit sore and I've got a bruise on the back of my right arm. Nothing that's really bad, but as I move my luggage around the airport it's a constant reminder that I had more than an moment yesterday.
The car is in bad shape. Worse than Ander's car at Mont Tremblant. The team was disappointed, but very cool and very concerned about me.
Later in the day Bob Aines was told by the Grand Am Race Director Mark Raffauf that he and the chief steward of the race reviewed the in-car video from my car several times and said that I did everything right and Jeb did it wrong. That's somewhat comforting to know that the officials are on my side.
I spoke with Calvin Fish this morning and asked him what Dorsey's and Lee's take on the situation was. I was pretty surprised to hear that Calvin thought Dorsey put most of the blame on me. I really hope not, because even though the race officials are holding me blameless, the majority of the people out there may be persuaded to think I was to blame.
All I can say is watch the video, look at the room I gave Jeb on the inside, and watch as he comes across and takes all my racing room away from me. That's what really pisses me off, because I gave him lots of room on the inside. Anyway, it's done.
Hopefully there will be some good coverage coming from the back to the front.
More later...
Gary
Sheehan Motor Racing
http://www.teamSMR.com
I'm sitting here in LaGuardia Airport in NYC waiting for my return flight. I had a pretty big crash yesterday. I started in 27th place due to a qualifying goof that's actually a pretty funny story, but will wait for another day. I worked my way up from 27th to 1st place in 11 laps. The Automatic Racing 09 BMW M3 was battling me for the lead. Coming into the heel of the boot he got up along inside of my. I gave him lots of room on the inside and we went through the corner side-by-side. But at the exit, I tracked all the way out and he tracked out into me, not leaving me any racing room. We both went off drivers left into the barrier.
It was a pretty hard hit. Yesterday I felt absolutely fine, but today the right side of my neck and my back is a bit sore and I've got a bruise on the back of my right arm. Nothing that's really bad, but as I move my luggage around the airport it's a constant reminder that I had more than an moment yesterday.
The car is in bad shape. Worse than Ander's car at Mont Tremblant. The team was disappointed, but very cool and very concerned about me.
Later in the day Bob Aines was told by the Grand Am Race Director Mark Raffauf that he and the chief steward of the race reviewed the in-car video from my car several times and said that I did everything right and Jeb did it wrong. That's somewhat comforting to know that the officials are on my side.
I spoke with Calvin Fish this morning and asked him what Dorsey's and Lee's take on the situation was. I was pretty surprised to hear that Calvin thought Dorsey put most of the blame on me. I really hope not, because even though the race officials are holding me blameless, the majority of the people out there may be persuaded to think I was to blame.
All I can say is watch the video, look at the room I gave Jeb on the inside, and watch as he comes across and takes all my racing room away from me. That's what really pisses me off, because I gave him lots of room on the inside. Anyway, it's done.
Hopefully there will be some good coverage coming from the back to the front.
More later...
Gary
Sheehan Motor Racing
http://www.teamSMR.com
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From: Murphy, Tx, USA
Re: (GarySheehan)
I am watching the race now (sort of...packing for a business trip at the same time). I'll see if the accident is televised.
No matter who is to blame... I am glad you are ok and can race another day!
No matter who is to blame... I am glad you are ok and can race another day!
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davidnyc,
I'm pretty sure you're watching the Rolex 6 hour race. My race was yesterday and will be broadcast on SpeedTV on Sunday, June 27th at 2:00pm eastern.
Gary
Sheehan Motor Racing
http://www.teamSMR.com
I'm pretty sure you're watching the Rolex 6 hour race. My race was yesterday and will be broadcast on SpeedTV on Sunday, June 27th at 2:00pm eastern.
Gary
Sheehan Motor Racing
http://www.teamSMR.com
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From: Murphy, Tx, USA
Re: (GarySheehan)
Whoops!!! You are correct. My mind is on the over night flight ahead of me (going to the UK). Too bad you are in LGA, I am going to JFK, we could of hanged out or something.
Thread Starter
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From: SF Bay, CA, USA
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From: Los Angeles, CA
Re: (GarySheehan)
Gary - I hope that you're feeling better. I just saw the incident on SPEED, and I can't imagine what you should have done differently. Don't worry about what Dorsey thinks/said. The BMW driver ran into you, knowing full well that you were there (even BMWs have mirrors). You gave him racing room throughout the corner and he should have done the same for you at track out. He took the chance that he could intimidate you into lifting or braking, and unfortunately, you both paid the price when that didn't happen.
Modified by WebbRacing.com at 3:28 PM 6/27/2004
Modified by WebbRacing.com at 3:28 PM 6/27/2004
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From: Palo Alto, CA, USA
Re: (WebbRacing.com)
Yeah Dorsey looked pretty mad, flailing his arms and all. Real professional reaction. It looked like he drove down on you, closing the door, Gary. What happened from your point of view? Can you compare and contrast driving the S4 with your WRX?
Anyone know the result of the Turner v. Lexus protest?
-Adam
Anyone know the result of the Turner v. Lexus protest?
-Adam
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From: kuidaore
Re: (GarySheehan)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GarySheehan »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Gary
Sheehan Motor Racing
http://www.teamSMR.com</TD></TR></TABLE>
That was out of turn 8 or into turn 8?
Or maybe I just misunderstood.
Regardless, glad you Both are alright and hopefully my VCR stayed on to catch this after the SWC.
Better luck.
Gary
Sheehan Motor Racing
http://www.teamSMR.com</TD></TR></TABLE>
That was out of turn 8 or into turn 8?
Or maybe I just misunderstood.
Regardless, glad you Both are alright and hopefully my VCR stayed on to catch this after the SWC.
Better luck.
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From: Greensboro, NC, USA
Re: (GarySheehan)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GarySheehan »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">...All I can say is watch the video, look at the room I gave Jeb on the inside, and watch as he comes across and takes all my racing room away from me. ...[/url]</TD></TR></TABLE>
...at which point it appears as though you put your nose in that notch in front of his outside tire, kept your boot in it, and barged the entire project into the blocks. I think the commentary was right on regardless of what race officials decided. Sorry, man - you asked and I don't have a dog in this fight.
K
...at which point it appears as though you put your nose in that notch in front of his outside tire, kept your boot in it, and barged the entire project into the blocks. I think the commentary was right on regardless of what race officials decided. Sorry, man - you asked and I don't have a dog in this fight.
K
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From: kuidaore
Re: (Knestis)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Knestis »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
...at which point it appears as though you put your nose in that notch in front of his outside tire, kept your boot in it, and barged the entire project into the blocks. I think the commentary was right on regardless of what race officials decided. Sorry, man - you asked and I don't have a dog in this fight.
K</TD></TR></TABLE>
Just watched it, and will watch it again before reposting.
...at which point it appears as though you put your nose in that notch in front of his outside tire, kept your boot in it, and barged the entire project into the blocks. I think the commentary was right on regardless of what race officials decided. Sorry, man - you asked and I don't have a dog in this fight.
K</TD></TR></TABLE>
Just watched it, and will watch it again before reposting.
Thread Starter
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Re: (Knestis)
Knestis,
The coverage of the incident was horrible. It really didn't show at all what happened. Speed never explained that we were racing for the lead and never showed the approach to the turn. It's actually kind of funny because Dorsey Schroeder then goes on to say that two cars CAN go through there side by side. But to do that, the passing driver needs to leave a little room for the car that didn't just vaporize but is in fact right there alongside him.
I've got all of my in-car video from Speed Channel. I've got to get permission from Speed as well as Grand-Am before I can put up any video. Hopefully they will let me do that.
There's lots of great action on that tape!
Gary
Sheehan Motor Racing
http://www.teamSMR.com
Modified by GarySheehan at 2:23 AM 6/28/2004
Modified by GarySheehan at 2:24 AM 6/28/2004
The coverage of the incident was horrible. It really didn't show at all what happened. Speed never explained that we were racing for the lead and never showed the approach to the turn. It's actually kind of funny because Dorsey Schroeder then goes on to say that two cars CAN go through there side by side. But to do that, the passing driver needs to leave a little room for the car that didn't just vaporize but is in fact right there alongside him.
I've got all of my in-car video from Speed Channel. I've got to get permission from Speed as well as Grand-Am before I can put up any video. Hopefully they will let me do that.
There's lots of great action on that tape!
Gary
Sheehan Motor Racing
http://www.teamSMR.com
Modified by GarySheehan at 2:23 AM 6/28/2004
Modified by GarySheehan at 2:24 AM 6/28/2004
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From: Greensboro, NC, USA
Re: (GarySheehan)
As I said, I've got no vested interest and come to any conclusion only from the evidence available. I might think differently presented with other information and remember - this IS the internet and everyone is an expert...
K
K
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From: richmond, va, 23233
Re: (Knestis)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Knestis »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
...at which point it appears as though you put your nose in that notch in front of his outside tire, kept your boot in it, and barged the entire project into the blocks. I think the commentary was right on regardless of what race officials decided. Sorry, man - you asked and I don't have a dog in this fight.
K</TD></TR></TABLE>
I disagree, i watched it today (only saw the incident once, I will have to go back and check TIVO again) but my initial thought listening to the race was what the heck are you talking about Dorsey....seemed to me, you were on the outside, two cars side by side in corner, the BMW slides out on end of corner into you, he should have lifted more, he simply tried to carry too much speed through there considering he was side by side w/ you.....I think the real problem was he kept his foot in it, not you, you couldn't go any further outside unless you went off.......just my two cents
...at which point it appears as though you put your nose in that notch in front of his outside tire, kept your boot in it, and barged the entire project into the blocks. I think the commentary was right on regardless of what race officials decided. Sorry, man - you asked and I don't have a dog in this fight.
K</TD></TR></TABLE>
I disagree, i watched it today (only saw the incident once, I will have to go back and check TIVO again) but my initial thought listening to the race was what the heck are you talking about Dorsey....seemed to me, you were on the outside, two cars side by side in corner, the BMW slides out on end of corner into you, he should have lifted more, he simply tried to carry too much speed through there considering he was side by side w/ you.....I think the real problem was he kept his foot in it, not you, you couldn't go any further outside unless you went off.......just my two cents
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From: Fairfax, Va, Fairfax
Re: (Knestis)
How any of you can make a determination on who was at fault in that video footage (Speed's replays) is beyond me. First off, other than Gary himself, how many of you have actually raced at the Glen or even know what corner this took place in.
I have raced at the Glen numerous time in everything from a Spec Racer to a GT1/ITE car. From the video footage shown all any one can deduce is that it was a "racing" incident.
We weren't shown what took place prior to Gary and Jeb going though turn 8. All we saw was that Jeb took the inside line and Gary took the outside line and that Jeb was ahead by a few inches but appeared to be "washing out" of the turn.
Dorsey says you can go two by two through there but it's a decreasing radius downhill corner taken under heavy braking (not sure if either Jeb or gary were trail braking here) with NO runoff room (no rumble strips or concrete just grass and dirt).
If the car on the inside is braking very late and carrying too much speed you can't go two by two through here.
Gary has presented his side, but as any of us who race know, in most racing incidents, both sides present a different story (Gary I don't mean to say your version is wrong, only that there are always two sides).
I really would like to see Gary's in car video. I suspect that Jeb dived inside but couldn't hold his inside line and started to understeer into Gary. Jeb may have been ahead of Gary and carrying more room but he might have drifted out wide.
Bottom line is that we can't sit here and play 'armchair' racer unless we can see the whole incident leading into turn 8. All we got was the last half of the incident.
Personally, at that corner if someone dive bombs me very late I am going to take a very late apex and hope that they run out of track or have to lift. I have made a few passes there on the inside and you have to get the inside line under braking but also be in control and not have the car wash out. It's a decreasing radius turn with nothing but grass and dirt at the edge of the track (no wide rumble strips) so if you understeer your history.
Conversely, I had a lot of folks make the inside pass on me there and run out of track at the exit.
My first reaction to the footage was that Gary should have backed off and Jeb would have just got two wheels in the dirt or gone off completely, but again we don't have footage of what occured before hand and Gary claims he had no where to go so maybe backing off wasn't an option.
The Glen is a great track for racing with many passing zones but if you get things wrong here you and your car are toast.
Gary....would love to see the in-car to see everything that happened.
Glad you are ok!
Regards,
Jon P. Kofod
http://www.flatoutracing.net (whose favorite track is the Glen !)
I have raced at the Glen numerous time in everything from a Spec Racer to a GT1/ITE car. From the video footage shown all any one can deduce is that it was a "racing" incident.
We weren't shown what took place prior to Gary and Jeb going though turn 8. All we saw was that Jeb took the inside line and Gary took the outside line and that Jeb was ahead by a few inches but appeared to be "washing out" of the turn.
Dorsey says you can go two by two through there but it's a decreasing radius downhill corner taken under heavy braking (not sure if either Jeb or gary were trail braking here) with NO runoff room (no rumble strips or concrete just grass and dirt).
If the car on the inside is braking very late and carrying too much speed you can't go two by two through here.
Gary has presented his side, but as any of us who race know, in most racing incidents, both sides present a different story (Gary I don't mean to say your version is wrong, only that there are always two sides).
I really would like to see Gary's in car video. I suspect that Jeb dived inside but couldn't hold his inside line and started to understeer into Gary. Jeb may have been ahead of Gary and carrying more room but he might have drifted out wide.
Bottom line is that we can't sit here and play 'armchair' racer unless we can see the whole incident leading into turn 8. All we got was the last half of the incident.
Personally, at that corner if someone dive bombs me very late I am going to take a very late apex and hope that they run out of track or have to lift. I have made a few passes there on the inside and you have to get the inside line under braking but also be in control and not have the car wash out. It's a decreasing radius turn with nothing but grass and dirt at the edge of the track (no wide rumble strips) so if you understeer your history.
Conversely, I had a lot of folks make the inside pass on me there and run out of track at the exit.
My first reaction to the footage was that Gary should have backed off and Jeb would have just got two wheels in the dirt or gone off completely, but again we don't have footage of what occured before hand and Gary claims he had no where to go so maybe backing off wasn't an option.
The Glen is a great track for racing with many passing zones but if you get things wrong here you and your car are toast.
Gary....would love to see the in-car to see everything that happened.
Glad you are ok!
Regards,
Jon P. Kofod
http://www.flatoutracing.net (whose favorite track is the Glen !)
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From: Arlington, NoVA, USA
All-in-all, it was a great race. Lots of lead changes and exciting passing... wished BJ Zacharias could have held off Murry, but oh well.
While it may be "armchair" racing, it seemed quite obvious to meet that the BMW pinched off Audi, and once they made contact and went off, there was nothing either could do. Nevertheless, congrats to Gary for working your way up to the lead...
While it may be "armchair" racing, it seemed quite obvious to meet that the BMW pinched off Audi, and once they made contact and went off, there was nothing either could do. Nevertheless, congrats to Gary for working your way up to the lead...
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 4,035
Likes: 0
From: Greensboro, NC, USA
Re: (John)
Being the lone voice in the wind here, I'll clarify that I didn't suggest that Gary CAUSED the problem. I accept all of his explanation of what led to the footage that we actually saw - and the fault of the the driver of the Bimmer for those actions.
It may well be that I'm the only one here - admitting my much more limited experience - who has had someone barge across my bow on a poorly-advised hail-Mary passing move, and decided that letting them get away with it is the best response. I guess that's why I'm not a "professional" race driver...
That said, I would like to see that in-car.
K
It may well be that I'm the only one here - admitting my much more limited experience - who has had someone barge across my bow on a poorly-advised hail-Mary passing move, and decided that letting them get away with it is the best response. I guess that's why I'm not a "professional" race driver...
That said, I would like to see that in-car.
K